REVIEW: Body Void / Keeper, Split 12"

By: Brandon Noga

Album Type: Split 12”

Date Released: 15/01/2020

Label: Roman Numeral |
Tridroid Records

Body Void / Keeper Split 12” track listing:

1). Body Void, Androgyne

2). Keeper, Trial & Error

3). Keeper, Twenty

The Review:

Claustrophobia don’t listen to this if you suffer from it; you’ll only get anxiety from this envelopment of feedback and primal shrieking, reminiscent of a being who’s lost everything but their last breath. 

Side A opens with a tribal tom-beat, heralding the feedback this band applies with aplomb: as necessary as the crushing riffs that promise to follow on any Body Void release. This recording is no different, and bludgeons you over the head almost immediately; 30 seconds in, most would be clawing to escape (according to my very musically supportive and open minded mother I’m staying with for the holidays, with a smile and a frown).

The tones and mixing job are pure ear candy for gear nerds like myself, which Body Void has pretty much perfected over the last few releases. Sunn Beta Lead heads + a Boss Hyper Fuzz? Sign me up. Just enough clarity to hear the diminished chords and muted chugs, and enough syrupy fuzz to please any Canadian. Trust me, I am one. 

The feedback laden drops they employ have matured pleasantly, involving an off-kilter timing. A mid tempo riff/beat ensues, and I’m destroying a room in an abandoned building in my mind in quick order. These cats blast away, before tossing slabs of concrete directly at your face. Oh, and the riff comes back: slower. Fuck.

It all ends with some Conan type weight, just to make sure you’re good and 6 feet under. This release clearly shows the trajectory these morticians are on, and I personally cannot wait to hear more. 

Flip over to side b and we’re greeted with yet more feedback. Christopher (my drummer for Ogimaa) suggested the Keeper split with Sea Bastard awhile back, and I was pleasantly surprised to hear a balance of sludge-infused riffs and blackened elements: this release is no different. 

The vocals are as harsh as ever, and the tones are spot on for the genre; with improved mixing from earlier efforts. Again, you can hear the growth of the band from previous records; which is crucial to any successful outfit making noise. The mix of single note riffs combined with the use of octave chords really creates a new weight to contend with. Any drummer would be satisfied with the kick drum in the mix, making sure each note and accent has the mass of a wrecking ball. Seven minutes in, we're thrown for a loop with bomb-note chugging and a reverb drenched melody; only to revert back to a minor chord black metal passage guiding us to the end.

Track 2 (“Twenty”) is a black pit. The guitar and bass drone behind a plague sermon being spat, until they give way to make you notice the massive crater, they seem to have drawn you in. The vocals get even more strained, while a humming current keeps you drifting in the ocean at night. Yes. You are alone.  It’s a passionate effort, and I’m sure vocal chords the world over would agree.

Overall, Keeper is continuing to impress. This split will definitely be in my yearly playlist and should be in yours. Onward to a sludge ridden 2020.

Preorder are available HERE (LP)  & HERE (Cassette)

Band info: Body Void || Keeper

REVIEW: Body Void, "You Will Know the Fear You Forced Upon Us"

By: Eeli Helin

Album Type: EP

Date released: 15/03/19

Label: Dry Couch Records,

Crown and Throne Ltd,

Seeing Red Records

Every single note, stroke and gasp is just as essential as the one preceeding and following; You will be left speechless amidst them, in a lightless, sludgy vortex of noise, fearing for your life.

 

"You Will Know the Fear You Forced Upon Us" CD/DD/CS/LP track listing:

1. Die Off

2. Fascist Cancer

The Review:

The Californian noisy sludge/doom trio Body Void are back with an ep titled "You Will Know the Fear You Forced Upon Us", released less than a year apart from their second full-length. Through two tracks clocking just under fourty minutes, the ep adds a new kind of depth to Body Void's well established style that can be described as uncompromising, demanding uneasy listening.

"Die Off" starts with a relentless pounding meant to floor the listener instantly, inflicting a feeling reminiscent of having your spine collapsing, one vertebra at a time. After the build up, the song erupts into a well structured, filthy verse with Will Ryan's agonizing howls on top of everything, puncturing your eardrums in a way that is achieved only by few. Continuing in a slow and droning pace, the songs atmosphere evolves over time yet choking the listener constantly for well over fifteen minutes until an abrupt stop, followed by unexpected d-beats and groovier movement. Ultimately leading back to an anti-rhythmic conclusion, "Die Off" ends as it started, violently and devastatingly.

"Fascist Cancer" continues with more a structured and swifter rate, bringing in some important variation. Fluctuating between quicker bursts and dragging blows, "Fascist Cancer" bludgeons and buries whatever remains from what the first track left behind it. Being clearly more versatile than the previous one, this track goes on to show that unique sound doesn't require context. The song propels through the mentioned styles into a minimalistic, less distorted airy passage that again adds to the depth and textures of the bands overall sound. Again you find yourself in the middle of some unforeseeable transitions and cuts; Throwing the listener around is clearly one of the bands strong suits. Ending on a crusty note, this ep is a tense and powerful continuation for the bands two full-lengths, that won’t leave the listener cold by any measure. Or actually, leaving the listener cold is exactly what this band does, as they take away all the warmth and humane feelings one might have left somewhere in their ransacked and battered body.

Body Void is a prime example of a band working in perfect unison. Every single note, stroke and gasp is just as essential as the one preceeding and following; You will be left speechless amidst them, in a lightless, sludgy vortex of noise, fearing for your life.

"You Will Know the Fear You Forced Upon Us"  is available HERE

Band info: facebook || bandcamp

THE SLUDGELORD PRESENTS: The Sour 16 for August 2016

SubRosa



It is time cast our minds back upon the month of August and digest the 16 albums that would become August’s sacrilegious ‘Sour 16’, the finest and most profane riffs around bundled together into a premium sized sonic soufflé.

You know the drill, each month; you the reader are unwittingly compiling a list of the top 16 records that we featured in August, covering all genres of metal.  Is it not a chart, in which reviewers or contributors extol their opinion about their favourite music.  The ‘Sour 16’ are the records that have been trending the most at Sludgelord Headquarters.

 

The results are compiled based on page views alone and calibrated into the list below. So kick back, with a cold one and let the power of the riff compel thee! All reviews can be viewed by clicking the artwork. (Total views since their publication are highlighted in red)

16). Bossk - "Audio Noir" (364)

The shimmering soundscapes of “The Reverie” gently ease the album into life. The track glides through waves of serene guitar atmospherics, before being crushed under a slab of molten distortion. Even though the classic quiet/loud dynamics of post-rock are employed here, Bossk manage to avoid the obvious, telegraphed crescendos by taking a more understated approach, conversely when they crank up, Bossk prove that they have honed their riffcraft to perfection. “Heliopause” is a relatively short burst of stoner aggravation while “Atomsmasher” fully delivers on the cataclysmic power of its name. In summation, Audio Noir” is a triumph for Bossk that sees them comfortably deliver on their fans’ anticipation for a full-length.

 

15). Body Void - "Ruins" EP (371)

Sounding like a seismic shift, 'Swans' instantly obliterates everything. The riffs slowly and mercilessly attack the central nervous system while the vocals suffocate and strangle. At the tail end of this EP comes the even more epic and gigantic 'Ruins', if you can imagine Andy Dufregne's escape in ' The Shawshank Redemption'; slow, filthy, dark, foreboding, this track is the embodiment of it. Body Void have set the bench mark pretty damn high now, surely they will follow this up with something truly amazing.

 

14). Warfather - "The Grey Eminence" (397)

“The Grey Eminence” is a better record than Warfather's debut (which was in itself a good album!) and is a credit to those involved. This is a style of death metal I like a lot; a mixture of all elements of the genre without too much of any one thing. This is controlled force and a must listen for death metal heads everywhere.

  

13)= Earthship - "Hallowed" & Khünnt - "Failures"  (405)

“Hallowed”is well represented with monolithic riffs, multi layered vocal arrangements and in standout track “Monolith” it delivers one of the heaviest moments within the course of the album. To me it appears as if the band had held back on us up until this point, because they have unleashed a truly astonishing album, which pummels and pounds you with a thick narcotic groove. This album is sonic alchemy of all their best elements, making this album a great listen and one to be admired.

 

 

Khünnt create the kind of bleak racket that would make even Khanate cry themselves to sleep, echoing the ragged noise rock monotony of Shit and Shine it is strangely euphoric and completely crushing in equal measure. “Failures” is a bold step forward from Khünnt. It sees them maintain their reputation for sonic drudgery while finding new ways to subject the listener to aural torment.

11). Howling Giant - “Black Hole Space Wizard”: Part 1” (EP) (469)

Howling Giant come across as a confident band that are bursting at the seams with invigorating hooks that sound as familiar as they are new. They have the discipline to take their time fleshing out riffs without losing sight of the song, their energy and passion is felt throughout, which is the glue that holds this EP together.

 

10). Make - "Pilgrimage of Loathing" (526)

An encompassing album that sees Make drag the psychedelia and post-metal of their previous recordings into a sludgy realm full of menacing atmospherics and hard-hitting riffs, Pilgrimage Of Hate is sure to please those who like their doom dark and heavy, but less predictable than the average group.

 

09). Lord Vicar - "Gates of Flesh" (551)

For anyone wanting quality traditional doom, the purchase of this album is a no brainer. Lord Vicar represents the very best in the genre and this album is a focused and fulfilling listen.

08). Hexxus - "Tunguska" (577)

Hexxus brings something different from the word go, desolation lays in their wake, pain and fear tremble before their sheer levels of decibel destruction.

 

7). Yeti On Horseback – “The Great Dying” (583)

Soaring melodies, crushing and enveloping riffs, brutal vocals, “The Great Dying” has got the lot! It's beautifully downtrodden in it's make up and utterly captivating.

 

6). Devil Electric - "The God's Below" (EP) (647)

 

Hailing from the Melbourne, Australia, Devil Electric unleash abevy combination of, ‘riffs of old and new in a collision of unholy matrimony’.

 

5). Black Tar Prophet/Iron Gavel - "Black Tar Prophet/Iron Gavel" Split (636)

 

4). Castle - "Welcome to the Graveyard" (829)

This is fantastic heavy metal of the most traditional kind, forged, I can only assume, in the fires of hell

 

3). Shadow Witch - "Sun Killer" (915)

This record is a fine debut and places the band amongst the retro rock/doom/metal scene but shows that they have a unique sound and approach. If you have been enjoying bands such as Demon Eye, R.I.P, Uncle Acid, Satans Satyrs, Electric Citizen and so on, well, Shadow Witch are better then some of them and can mix it with the best of them!

 

2). Slomatics – “Future Echo Returns” (1608)

When a band's guitarist has their own signature fuzz pedal, it's a safe bet that they can cut through solid rock with their riffs; when both guitarists have an alternate version of the same pedal then prepare your eardrums for some serious, rock crushing heaviosity. The towering heaviness of the riffs and the images of the infinite, shimmering darkness of space is executed and captured perfectly. An amazing album worthy of any and all praise it will undoubtedly receives.

 

1). SubRosa - "For This We Fought the Battle of Ages" (2694)

If you love really emotionally charged hard hitting music, give this record a listen. I had very high expectations of this record, and those expectations were met and then exceeded.

 

A big thank you as always to our amazing writers, your dedication knows no boundaries and for that I am truly grateful.  August’s “Sour 16” features reviews by:  Richard Maw, Dan Brownson, George Parr, Charlie Butler, Chris Bull, Hunter Young, Eric Crowe, Victor Van Ommen  & Gerardo Pacheco

REVIEW: Body Void - "Ruins" EP (Review)

By: Chris Bull

Album Type: EP

Date Released: 16/06/2016

Label: Transylvanian Tapes

Sounding like a seismic shift, 'Swans' instantly obliterates everything. The riffs slowly and mercilessly attack the central nervous system while the vocals suffocate and strangle.  At the tail end of this EP comes the even more epic and gigantic 'Ruins', if you can imagine Andy Dufregne's escape in ' The Shawshank Redemption'; slow, filthy, dark, foreboding, this track is the embodiment of it.  Body Void have set the bench mark pretty damn high now, surely they will follow this up with something truly amazing.

‘Ruins’ CS//CD//DD track listing:

1). Swans

2). Erased

3). Monolith

4). Ruins

The Review:

Damn it feels good to be a Sludgelord; especially when tasty slabs of sonic mass come hurtling towards your face! I'll admit, I'd never heard of Body Void or their previous incarnation; Devoid but man, 'Ruins' their 1st EP has certainly left a lingering taste!

Sounding like a seismic shift, 'Swans' instantly obliterates everything. The riffs slowly and mercilessly attack the central nervous system while the vocals suffocate and strangle. The guitars are lacking a little weight behind them that would make the force of each strum that much greater but it still packs enough grit to cause plenty of earaches.

'Erased' has a slightly faster, crustier opening but slows into some truly blood curdling doom! The titanic 'Monolith' is rather eponymous; standing, solemnly amidst the shrieking vocals and feedback are riffs that are...well, monolithic! The crusty part at the songs midsection is well placed and very welcome amongst the huge distorted slabs of blackened doom. At the tail end of this EP comes the even more epic and gigantic 'Ruins', if you can imagine Andy Dufregne's escape in ' The Shawshank Redemption'; slow, filthy, dark, foreboding, this track is the embodiment of it. Despite being 16 minutes of slow, torturous doom, it still has plenty of twists to keep your attention.

Body Void have set the bench mark pretty damn high now, surely they will follow this up with something truly amazing.

‘Ruins’ is available here

Band info: bandcamp || facebook

RIYL: Khanate, Thou, Keeper, Primitive Man